Train-pipe and means for securing the same to railway-cars.



l. S. DOWNING.

TRAIN PIPE AND MEANS FOR SECURING THE SAME T0 RAlLWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I. 1912.

1,151 ,092. Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I. S. DOWNING.

TRAIN PIPE AND MEANS FOR SECURING THE SAME T0 RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1912.

1 1 5 1,092. Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I. S. DOWNING.

TRAIN PIPE AND MEANS FOR SECURING THE SAME T0 RAILWAY CARS;

APPLICATION FILED MAY I, I912.

1 1 5 1 ,092. Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM CO., WASHINGTON, D. c.

l. S. DOWNING.

TRAIN PIPE AND MEANS FOR SECURING THE SAME T0 RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1912.

1,151,092. Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

tar

IRA S. DOWNING, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO WALTER. P. MURPHY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRAIN-PIPE AND MEANS FOR SECURING THE SAME TO RAILWAY-CARS.

Application filed May 1, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IRA S. DOWNING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train-Pipes and Means for Securing the Same to Bailway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of railway cars and particularly to the air brake train pipe and the means employed for securing the same to the under side of the car.

The primary object of the invention is to provide certain new and improved devices, constructions and arrangements whereby the attachment of the train pipe to the car is made more secure and its liability to breakage very much lessened if not entirely eliminated.

It has been heretofore the usual practice to attach, the air brake train pipeto the car by means of hangers or clamps which take a frictional grip onthe pipe, the latter being made up of a number of sections of pipe suitably coupled together. When a train stops or starts a certain longitudinal thrust is given to the train pipes, due to inertia, whichthe ordinary frictional clamps heretofore used are not able to withstand. Lon gitudinal strains are put upon the train pipes also when, as frequently happens, the trainmen do not uncouple the train pipe couplers but instead allow them to uncouple automatically. As a result of these condi t-ions there is a tendency for the pipes to slip and shift longitudinally which, if it is unequal for the different hangers, tends to buckle and break the pipes. This longitudinal movement of the train pipe is particularly apt to break off the branch pipe leading from the train pipe to the air brake reservoir.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide means for positively holding the train pipe against its tendency to shift longitudinally.

Train pipes have ordinarily been attached at their extremities to the end sills of the car, the object of this being to have as little overhang as possible. \Vith cars Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 24, 1915.

Serial No. 694,418.

having steel. under frames this is not ob jectionable but if the under frame be of wood the draft on the car is likely to loosen the end sill and put upon the train pipe a strain which it is not able to withstand. Train pipes on wooden cars are frequently broken from this cause.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of parts which will obviate this difii culty.

It frequently happens that train pipes break off at their extreme ends, that is, between the end hanger and the angle cock. This is due to theweight of the angle cock, hoses and hose couplings, and particularly to the .strains which are exerted against the overhanging ends of the pipe when the train rounds curves and ta-utens up the coupling hoses, or when the couplings instead of being manually uncoupled are allowed to uncouple of themselves.

A further object of my invention is to provide an arrangement by which the danger of breakage due to these causes is very largely eliminated.

The invention has for further objects such other new and improved arrangements, constructions and devices in train pipes and means for securing them to the car as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

My invention comprises several different improvements. These improvements can be used to advantage conjointly. However, I do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to their conjoint use. Some advantage might be obtained -by using them separately in connection with known de vices intended to be used in corresponding arrangements.

The invention is illustrated, in a preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawings, -wl1erein Figure 1 is a plan view of the under frame of a standard box car showing the air'train pipe and the means provided by my invention for securing the same to the car; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a plan view of one of the devices employed for coupling the train pipe sections together and securing them to the car, Fig. 4, an elevation of the device shown in Fig. 3; Figs. and 6 are views similar to Figs. 3 and I, respectively, illustrating another coupling and attaching device; Fig. 7, a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 77 of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 8, a longitudinal sectional view of the coupling device and associated parts; Fig. 9, a sectional view of another form of coupling and attaching device; Fig. 10, a front elevation of the same; Fig. 11, a side elevation of a preferred arrangement for attaching the end of the train pipe to the car; Fig. 12, a sectional view taken on line 1212 of Fig. 11, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 13, a sectional elevation of a. modified construction.

'Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

My invention is shown in connection with the under frame of a box car of standard construction. Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, A designates the wooden end sills of the car, B the side sills, C the center sills, E the intermediate sills, F the bolstersand G the cross ties. H designates the air train pipe, J the air brake reservoir, K the cylinder, and L .the branch pipe leading from the train pipe H to the reservoir J.

The train pipe H, according to my invention, is made up of a plurality of pipe sec tions which are coupled together by coupling elements two, or if desired, more than two, of which are secured to the under frame of the car. In this way the train pipe is supported from the car by attachments which have a positive hold on the pipe instead of merely gripping or clamping it with a frictional grip. This prevents any longitudinal movement of the train pipe likely to break the pipe or its connections. In Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive I have shown a device for thus coupling two sections of the train pipe together and securing them to the car; this device being intended to be used at one extremity of the train pipe and particularly upon cars having wood underframes. 25 designates a coupling member which is adapted to receive the threaded ends of the sections 26, 27 of the train pipe. The coupling member is secured by means of the bolts 28 to a bracket consisting of a vertically extending member 29 fastened by bolts 30 to the side of the intermediate sill E and a preferably integrally formed plate 31. The plate is provided with a series of perforations 32 in order that'the position of the coupling member may be adjusted so as to bring the train pipe at the distance from the center of the coupler required by standard practice. The base 33 of the coupling member seats between flanges 34 on the plate 31, which flanges take the strain that would otherwise be exerted on the bolts '28. The

bracket projects forwardly from the place of its attachment to the sill so that the pipe has no greater overhang than it would have if it were attached to the end sill. 35 designates the usual angle cock. A proper positioning of the train pipe vertically may be obtained by bolting the bracket 29 at the .proper height on the sill E. It will be understood that the above described arrangement will ordinarily be duplicated at the other end of the car.

In Figs. 3 and at I have shown a coupling and attaching device suitable for securing the train pipe tosome longitudinally extending member of the under frame at a point intermediate the ends of the car. This device is in substance the same as that just described except that there is no occasion for having the coupling member projected in advance of the bracket attachments. The device of Figs. 3 and 4: consists of a bracket- 36 formed with a horizontal plate 37 to which the coupling element 38 is secured in the manner described above. The coupling member unites sections 39 and 40 of the train pipe.

' As shown the train pipe passes through the bolsters F, F and the cross ties G, G. It may also, if desired, be divided into sections at these points and the ends of the sections secured to the above mentioned transverse members of the frame by the coupling and attaching device shown in Figs; 9 and 10. 41 designates a coupling element having flanges 42 which are riveted to thetransverse member in question, for example, to one of the cross ties G. The bore ofthe coupling element is threaded to' receive the ends of the pipe sections 4:3, 44:.

It will be understood that it will not be necessary under all circumstancesto use on a single car all of theabove described devices for attaching the train pipe to the car. Provided the pipe is positively secured to the car at a sufficient number of points to effectually check the forces and stresses tending to break or buckle the pipe, ordinary hangers may be used at other places.

In Figs. 11 and 12 I have shown means for securing the extremity of the train pipe to the car, the purpose of which is to prevent the breaking of the pipe between its point of support and the angle cock; It will be understood that the devices shown in these figures can be combined with the devices for sustaining the train pipe at its intermediate points which have beenheretofore described or with such of them as it may be desirable to use.

The ends of train pipes of adjacent cars stand out ofline with each-other and are connected by an obliquely disposed hose coupling. As a result there is a good deal of lateral strain on the ends of the train pipe tending to break the pipe at or near the angle cock. I overcome this difficulty by the arrangement shown in Figs. 11 and 12. The coupling element 4:5 is secured, preferably adjustably, to a bracket 29 as in the case-of coupling element previously described. The angle cock 35 is abutted against the coupling member 45 and is screwed onto the threaded end of a nipple 46 which is screwed into the coupling member 45. The coupling member therefore takes the strains exerted against the angle cock, and being a relatively heavy, strong casting the danger of" breaking the pipe due to this cause is eliminated. The device just described is intended particularly for cars having wood under frames and the bracket or hanger is therefore anchored to the intermediate sill instead of the end sill.

In Fig. 13 I have shown a similar arrangement used in connect-ion with a bracket which is secured to the end sill. This is not objectionable when the under frame is of steel construction. The bracket in question is designated 17 and is riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the under side of the steel end sill A. The train pipe section 27 is screwed into the coupling member e9 formed, as shown, integrally with the bracket. The coupling member has an' internal thread for the nipple 50. The angle cock screws onto the end of the nipple as in the arrangement shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

\Vhile I have described my invention in certain preferred embodiments it will be readily understood that modifications might be devised which would come within the scope of my invention. Therefore I do not limit myself to the particular devices, constructions and arrangements shown and described except so far as the same are made specific limitations in some of the claims, my purpose being to claim, both broadly and narrowly, whatever patentable novelty my invention may possess in view of the present state of the art.

The arrangement shown in Figs. 5, 6, 11 and 12 whereby the bracket for supporting the end of the train pipe is so constructed as to beattachable to one of the longitudinal sills of the under-frame is described and claimed in my patent No. 1,120,607, granted on an application which is a division of the present application, and said combination is, therefore, not claimed in the present application.

I claim:

1. The combination with a railway car, of a train pipe on the under side of the car composed of a plurality of alined pipe sections which are relatively short with respect to the length of the car and have threaded extremities, threaded coupling elements between said pipe sections with which the threaded extremities of the pipe sections are engaged, and means for anchoring said coupling elements to the car whereby said sections are separately, rigidly secured to the car at their opposite ends.

.2. The combination with a railway car, of a train pipe comprising a pair of alined pipe section-s having threaded extremities, a threaded coupling element with which the threaded ends of said pipe sections are -engaged and which holds the same in rigid relation with each other, a support anchored to the car, and means for securing said coupling element rigidly to said support at different positions thereon, in accordance with the relative position of the supporting device to the train pipe.

3. The combination with a railway car, of a train pipe comprising a pair of alined pipe sections having threaded extremities, a threaded coupling element with which the threaded ends of said pipe sections are engaged and which holds the same in rigid relation with each other, a bracket having a vertical attaching member, adapted to be anchored to the car, and a horizontal member, and means for rigidly securing said coupling element at different positions on the horizontal member of said bracket.

4. The combination with a railway car, of a train pipe comprising a pair of alined pipe sections having threaded extremities, a.

threaded coupling. element formed with flanges, with which element the threaded ends of said pipe sections are engaged so as to be held in rigid relation with each other, and a bracket having a vertical attaching member adapted to be anchored to the car, and a horizontal member; said horizontal member and the flanges on said coupling element being provided with a plurality of bolt holes whereby the coupling member may be rigidly secured at different positions on the bracket.

The combination with a railway car, of a train pipe comprising a pair of alined pipe sections having threaded extremities, a threaded coupling element formed with flanges, with which element the threaded ends of said pipe sections are engaged so as to be held in rigid relation, a bracket having an attaching member and a channel shaped member extending transversely of the car into which said coupling element is adapted to fit, and means for rigidly securing said coupling element to said channel member at difierent positions thereon.

6. The combination with a railway car, of a train pipe comprising a pair of alined pipe sections having threaded extremities, a threaded coupling element with which the threaded ends of said pipe sections are engaged, means for rigidly anchoring said coupling element to the car, and an angle cock which has a threaded relation with one of said pipe sections and abuts against said coupling element. 7

'7. The combination With a railway car, of a train pipe comprising a pair of alined pipe sections having threaded extremities, a threadedcoupling element WithWhich the threaded extremities of said pipe sections areengaged so that said sections are held in rigidrelation with each other, a bracket anchored to said car, means for rigidly securing-said coupling element to said bracket at IRA s; DOWNING.

Witnesses: v

CHAsR. ELY,- C. G. WALKER.

Copies vof this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commission'erot Patents,

- Washington, 11 0." 

